By ELLEN KOLMAN - Staff Writer - ekolman@starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — The long anticipated first day for Jefferson Junior and Senior High School students and staff dawned bright with excitement and pride Monday morning.
Thanks to a student/parent orientation last week, and armed with schedules and maps, most students seemed confident about where to go on their first day.
“This is going to be a great day in our new building,” said senior Matt Osborne.
Senior Sarah Paul agreed.
“Any confusion will soon work itself out,” she said with a big smile.
The two-story, 162,000-square-foot junior/senior high school boasts a 750-seat state-of-the-art, 11,000-square-foot auditorium, a central kitchen area, which is complete with seven flatscreen televisions, a multimedia center with 50 new computers, two gymnasiums and much more.
To help ease the students into their new surroundings was a team of former teachers and staff members who served as guides and friendly familiar faces on the first day.
“They called us in to help, and so far I haven’t had to help too many lost students,” said Ed Pickard who retired from teaching in 2005.
Retired guidance counselor Pat Inman said the most common question she was asked by students was, “Do you know where locker so-in-so is?”
“We’ve been divided up into sections and have answered a few questions, but everyone seems to know where they are going,” Inman said.
Junior Syanne Palmer got up extra early to get to school early to avoid any chaos.
“It will be a whole new experience, I’m exited about it,” she said.
High school science teacher Christy Seymour said, “There is a lot of excitement and positive energy here today.”
In order to make sure everyone knew what was expected, all students, two grade levels at a time, were called into the auditorium for an assembly.
“The community gave us this beautiful school and we are counting on you to help us keep it beautiful,” said principal John Montanaro.
District Superintendent Doug Hladek eagerly addressed the students and staff with stirring reminders.
“I came here with a mission when you were eighth and ninth graders to have you in your new school as soon as possible,” Hladek said to the junior and senior classes. “Our high school teachers and staff have done a fabulous job getting ready for you in such a short amount of time; a big kudos to them.”
The original moving in date was Oct. 15, but the public address system and the telephone network systems were not ready.
“We could not open safely until these systems were working,” Hladek said.
